In recent years, industrial personal computers have become increasingly prevalent in many industries. It is not uncommon today to see rows of industrial PCs arranged in racks. Often these PC have associated with them displays so that a technician can walk among the rows of racks of PCs and can monitor and/or manipulate the status of such PCs. Recently, designers of industrial computers have created very thin computers which fit into a 1 U-sized opening.
In the past, PC engineers have devised computer display and keyboard units which fit into a 1 U slot or bay. Typically, these 1 U display and keyboard units have been designed in either of two ways. The first design is essentially a laptop computer mounted on a rail that slides in and out of a 1 U slot in a rack. The second design is similar, and it may be viewed as a laptop computer with a hinge between the keyboard and the display which permits the display to lie flat on the rail that supports the keyboard, which is the leading edge component when the unit is deployed using the rails.
While these 1 U keyboard and display units have been used extensively in the past, they do have some drawbacks.
First of all, the laptop on a rail or the keyboard and display clam shell model has two significant drawbacks. The display and the keyboard must be designed and manufactured as very thin components, so that when they are folded shut with the display on top of the keyboard, that the closed unit still fits within a 1 U slot in the rack. These design constraints add expense to the finished unit. Also, this display over keyboard clam shell design requires the keyboard to fully extend into the aisle between the racks even when the technician only wants to monitor the computers using the display and does not wish to use the keyboard.
Secondly, the xe2x80x9cfully reclinedxe2x80x9d display design where the hinge or other connection between the display and the keyboard permits the display to fully recline and to lie flat against the rail suffers from the same aisle encroachment problem as the clam shell approach.
Consequently, there exists a need for improved methods and systems for deploying personal computers or keyboard and display combination units in an efficient manner in a rack of industrial personal computers.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for deploying a display and keyboard combination for a rack-mounted industrial personal computer in an efficient manner.
It is a feature of the present invention to utilize a design having the display component leading during the deployment process.
It is another feature of the present invention to include an independently retractable keyboard.
It is an advantage of the present invention to achieve improved efficiency in stowing and deploying display and keyboard units for rack-mounted 1 U industrial personal computers.
The present invention is an apparatus and method for stowing and deploying 1 U display and keyboard units for rack-mounted industrial personal computers designed to satisfy the aforementioned needs, provide the previously stated objects, include the above-listed features, and achieve the already articulated advantages. The present invention is carried out in a xe2x80x9cwasted encroachment-lessxe2x80x9d manner in a sense that the space consumed by a keyboard during times when it is not in use has been greatly reduced.
Accordingly, the present invention is a system and method including a 1 U sized display and keyboard combination which provides for independent deployment of the keyboard after the display has been deployed.
The invention may be more fully understood by reading the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, in conjunction with the appended drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art rack-mounted industrial computer system.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a system of the present invention, in which the display/keyboard combination is stowed.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a partially deployed system of the present invention, where the display is fully deployed and the keyboard remains concealed.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a fully deployed system of the present invention.